Lin Mo added, his tone casual yet containing a more chilling implication.
“The target of White Jade Capital can be any living being…”
His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the wounds still oozing blood on his own body, and over the nearly depleted energy inside him that was stubbornly circulating, supported by some new power.
“…Naturally, including myself.”
“Judging by the result…”
“I succeeded, didn’t I?”
After speaking, he stopped advancing, standing before Yan.
Looking down from above.
Like a god, looking down at a… mortal who had lost all glory and authority.
“When so-called fate no longer favors you…”
Lin Mo’s voice was very soft, yet carried a sharpness that cut through all illusions.
“When the blessings obtained through those prayers are temporarily stripped away and negated…”
He slightly leaned forward, his blazing golden pupils containing the fierce collision of two opposing forces, seeming to stare directly through the eye holes of the mask at Yan’s ice-blue eyes hidden behind, which must now be filled with shock and confusion.
“Yan…”
Lin Mo softly called his name, like calling out to a pitiful magician whose every trick had been exposed.
“What else do you have…”
“That allows you to look down from above, indifferent to everything…”
“That you can rely on?”
…
…
…
Abyss Corridor.
The towering Abyss Mirror still clearly reflected the subversive scene in the void battlefield—Lin Mo’s sudden outburst, two strikes sending Yan crashing down.
In front of the mirror.
On Ayane Hanyu’s face, the sweet yet cruel bright smile she had maintained shattered like a frozen lake surface—then… burst apart.
“How… how is this possible?!”
She exclaimed in shock, her voice so shrill it nearly cracked, filled with the same—even stronger—incredulity as Yan’s.
Her eyes, always containing deep dark whirlpools, now had pupils that sharply contracted, the darkness violently surging and boiling as if a red-hot iron had been thrown into a calm deep pool.
She stared fixedly at the scene in the mirror, watching Yan fall in disarray, watching Lin Mo’s figure that seemed to control everything, and all color drained from her face in an instant.
From the very first day she believed in the Abyss and accepted that dark power, she had been indoctrinated and had believed with conviction that the Abyss was the destination of all things, the ultimate truth.
The Abyss power granted by the deity was the supreme force that no existence or power in the world could truly contend with.
And Fate, that deity of the same rank as the Abyss—even slightly higher in ancient legends—more elusive and inscrutable, how could its bestowed power and blessings… how could they be cracked by a mere human, in such a simple and crude manner…
Cracked?!
This was not just Lin Mo defeating Yan.
This was practically shaking the very foundation of her faith.
It was denying the ultimate she pursued and served.
Told you…
Just as Ayane Hanyu’s mind was reeling and her worldview was under violent impact, a cold voice carrying restrained anger sounded behind her, like an ice pick piercing through her shock.
“You self-righteous people…”
The owner of the voice, tone filled with finally unleashed mockery and satisfaction.
“Don’t get too cocky—!!!”
The moment the last word fell.
BOOM—!!!
A surge of yao energy so vast and pure that it made the very essence of the Abyss tremble and retreat erupted like a long-dormant volcano, centering on Chu You’s location and surging in all directions.
This yao energy was filled with wildness, dominance, and blazing vitality.
“!!!!!!!!”
Ayane Hanyu instinctively, like a startled rabbit, took a half step back.
She abruptly turned her head, no longer looking at the mirror that had shaken her, and stared fixedly behind her at the prey she thought had completely lost the ability to resist, waiting only to be devoured—Chu You.
However, what met her eyes now was far from that injured, dying girl struggling under the Abyss’s erosion.
Standing there was a figure with an upright posture and an imposing aura like an unsheathed famous blade.
A specially made combat suit that perfectly hugged her curves, outlining breathtaking lines, had replaced her previously damaged clothes.
And the most eye-catching was behind her.
A massive, almost exaggeratedly large fox tail—fluffy and soft like a cloud, yet faintly emitting energy fluctuations that made one’s heart skip—naturally sprouted from the end of her lower back, gently swaying in the air.
It swayed gently, the fur at the tip seeming to carry starlight, and each swing stirred the surrounding Abyss aura, forcing it to retreat and disperse.
The mere presence of this single fox tail gave an illusion of blocking out the sky and sun, as if it were not just a part of her body, but a symbol of some ancient, noble, and powerful bloodline and an extension of authority.
What made Ayane Hanyu’s heart tremble even more was.
Between the swaying of the huge fox tail, she could see faint, almost imperceptible threads of white flame, incredibly pure, flickering at the tips of the tail’s fur.
That white flame had no temperature at all, instead exuding a profound and sacred sense that could wash away all filth, purify all evil, and even burn through the essence of the soul.
Just a glimpse of it made Ayane Hanyu feel an instinctive palpitation and repulsion from the Abyss power within her.
This white flame perfectly merged with the surging peach-colored yao energy around Chu You, causing no conflict, but rather adding an indescribable, almost divine majesty and loftiness to her already cool and beautiful temperament.
As if she was no longer just an individual with special power, but an… agent of some ancient heritage, some supreme law in the mortal world.
Her originally cool eyes had now turned a pure peach color, like carved from the finest peach blossom crystal, with light flowing deep within the pupils—naturally enchanting, yet frozen with mockery and killing intent that could freeze the soul.
On her delicate face, all traces of pain, fatigue, and despair were swept away, leaving only a frozen vast coldness, and beneath that coldness, a surging battle intent like underground fire.
The previously pervasive and suffocating Abyss erosion aura was now forcibly repelled and dispersed by the cleansing of this vast yao energy and the mysterious white flame.
Centered on Chu You, a relatively clean domain several meters in diameter had formed.
Chu You slightly lifted her long legs, tightly wrapped in the combat suit, with graceful and powerful lines, and took a light step forward.
The step was not large, but extremely stable and firm.
The charred ground under her feet seemed to tremble slightly from this step.
She raised her hand.
A warm and brilliant peach-colored energy halo lit up from beneath her skin, spreading rapidly across her entire palm.
Her fingers curled slightly into a grasping position.
Hum—!
A clear, resonant hum sounded in the air.
A blade, formed entirely from yao energy condensed to the extreme and flowing with magnificent peach-colored radiance, instantly took shape in her palm.
It was a Tang Dao—ancient in design, smooth in lines, combining beauty with a killing aura.
The blade was crystal clear, with flowing light inside, as if carved from a single piece of peach blossom crystal, yet emitting a cold metallic gleam.
At the blade’s edge, the peach-colored radiance was most concentrated, faintly wrapped in phantom white flames, emitting a sharpness and purification aura that made the soul tremble.
Chu You lightly flicked her wrist, creating a beautiful flourish.
The peach-glowing Tang Dao cut through the stagnant air, producing a fine and sharp whistling sound.
Then, the tip of the blade rose, pointing straight and steadily at Ayane Hanyu, whose face had completely darkened and whose eyes were wildly surging with darkness.
“Ayane Hanyu, right?”
Chu You spoke, her voice still cool, but with a composure of one long accustomed to a superior position, and a hint of anticipation of finally being able to let loose and fight.
Her peach-colored eyes locked onto the other, and the corners of her mouth also curled into an imperceptible, cold, and sharp arc.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a frustrating fight.”
She paused, then her tone suddenly turned harsh, each word like a shard of ice.
“You, are very good.”
The Tang Dao in her hand suddenly blazed with peach-colored radiance.
On the blade, the faint white flame seemed to brighten a bit.
“So…”
Chu You slightly lowered her center of gravity, her vast yao energy rolling and gathering around her like a tangible substance.
The huge fox tail slowly spread behind her, like a peacock displaying its feathers or a battle flag unfurling.
She stared at Ayane Hanyu, whose face was ashen, and spoke the final declaration like a challenge.
“I hope that next…”
“You better not run away!”
The moment her words fell, the ground under her feet exploded with a roar.